BXBX NOVEL Chapter 154: I Want Half of the Rewards
"I can certainly cooperate with you in eliminating the instances around Moonlight City, but there's one thing I must make clear beforehand. During the process of clearing these instances, I must receive half of the rewards." Jeremy stated firmly.
Jeremy's words brought a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
"How many people can you bring to support my operation?" Howard asked in a low tone.
"I will bring at least two people to join the operation with you. Of course, if Bonnie isn't considered a member of my team, I may only bring one person to support your mission."
Jeremy responded with utmost honesty.
Ritchie's current physical condition had not yet recovered, making it impossible for Jeremy to include him in Howard's operation.
At most, he could only bring either Emma or Claire along with Bonnie.
The reason Jeremy did not plan to take both Emma and Claire was that he believed their combat abilities were not particularly strong.
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He could only protect one of them, so to ensure their safety, it was better to bring just one.
Upon hearing Jeremy's words, Howard fell silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.
"Do you know how many subordinates I need to mobilize for this operation? Are you aware that Ella will be bringing the entire Black Dragon Squad to support my mission this time?
Our efforts will far exceed yours. Don't you think it's a bit excessive to demand half of the rewards for yourself?"
Howard's voice grew louder and louder, nearly reaching the point of shouting.
However, his outburst did not have the desired effect, as Jeremy believed that requesting half of the rewards was actually quite modest.
"You may indeed have a large number of people involved in the operation. But, if I'm being brutally honest, whether it's your subordinates or the members of the Black Dragon Squad, there's only one word to describe them: useless."
Jeremy held a very low opinion of Howard's subordinates.
This was because Howard's subordinates had performed exceptionally poorly when faced with crises in the past. If not for Howard's ability to remain calm during operations and suppress his subordinates' urge to flee,
Those subordinates might have fled at the first sign of danger.
As for the members of the Black Dragon Squad led by Ella, Jeremy held them in even lower regard.
After all, from Jeremy's current perspective, Ella was a potential enemy. There was absolutely no way he would speak favorably about his adversary.
Jeremy's response infuriated Howard enormously.
"Your skills might indeed surpass ours. But don't you think your remarks are a bit too arrogant? If you continue to insist on half of the rewards, I won't be able to collaborate with you on this mission."
Although Howard had previously held a relatively good impression of Jeremy.
There was simply no way he could accept giving away half of the mission's rewards. Even if he could come to terms with it, his subordinates certainly could not.
Howard had no way to explain to his subordinates why such a large portion of the rewards should go to Jeremy.
Upon hearing this, Jeremy responded nonchalantly, "Alright then, you can proceed with the operation on your own."
After saying this, Jeremy promptly hung up the phone. From Jeremy's perspective, Howard and his team's solo operation was destined to be futile.
This was because the planners of the apocalypse game had actually strengthened the instance.
The speed at which Howard and his team were improving their skills was simply not fast enough. Given their current capabilities, they stood no chance against the enhanced monsters in the instance.
Next to Jeremy, Claire wore a slightly worried expression.
She had actually overheard the entire conversation between Jeremy and Howard. Claire felt that Jeremy shouldn't have been so rude.
"I don't think you should have been so rigid. And why must you insist on getting half of the rewards if you are cooperating with Howard's team? As far as I remember, you never cared much about rewards before."
Facing Claire's remarks, Jeremy immediately provided an explanation.
"The truth is, I am unwilling to cooperate with Howard and his team because collaborating with the official forces poses more risks than benefits for me. Don't forget, Kean is also part of the official forces.
Moreover, this operation doesn't involve just Howard and his subordinates. Ella and the Black Dragon Squad will also be participating. If I don't demand half of the rewards, then those rewards will go to Ella.
Ella is Kean's fiancée. Do you think it's wise to let Ella gain more rewards?"
Jeremy's counter-question left Claire speechless.
Of course, Claire absolutely did not want Kean's fiancée to receive too many rewards.
"Actually, you don't need to worry. Although I had an argument with Howard, it doesn't mean I've completely fallen out with the official forces. Howard's next operation is bound to fail."
"After they suffer a significant defeat, they will surely come back to seek my help. At that point, we can offer our assistance without raising our price. This will greatly improve their perception of us."
Claire didn't quite understand why Jeremy was so confident while saying this.
However, she had always trusted Jeremy deeply. Since Jeremy said that Howard would definitely come to him for help, she believed it would happen.
Claire nodded, "If that's the case, then I have no issue with it. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll be going now."
Jeremy watched Claire leave.
After Claire disappeared into the horizon, Jeremy decided to return to his residence.
His home had not seen visitors for a long time. Although Claire and Emma would come regularly to clean.
The place still inevitably felt somewhat unfamiliar.
Jeremy flopped directly onto his comfortable bed, exclaiming, "It's still the best to be in my own home! Even though Emma and Claire have taken care of me, staying at someone else's place just doesn't feel right."
Jeremy enjoyed a few hours of blissful sleep and woke up around midnight, grabbing a quick bite to eat.
"Howard and his team's operation should have started by now. They are most likely already in the first instance. I'm curious to see if they can actually handle the instance they encounter."
While checking the rewards he had obtained from The Iron Lair instance, Jeremy also kept an eye out for any updates from Howard's side.
If Howard managed to easily clear the first instance, he would undoubtedly boast about it to Jeremy.
This would prove that Howard and his team could handle the instances around Moonlight City, even without Jeremy's help.
As Jeremy went through his rewards, he suddenly noticed that in addition to the skill books, experience points, and some low-quality chests, he had also obtained several storage cards for high-dimensional data.
These storage cards didn't hold much High-Dimensional Data, but they were sufficient to control an ordinary machine.
This meant that Jeremy could use these High-Dimensional Data storage cards in conjunction with his [The Mechanical Puppet Technique] to create mechanical puppets at a very low cost.
Upon realizing this possibility, Jeremy immediately sprang into action.
He first retrieved a mechanical dog that he had brought out from The Iron Lair instance. Then, he inserted the High-Dimensional Data storage card into the computational core of the mechanical dog.
After completing all the preparations, Jeremy employed [The Mechanical Puppet Technique].
With the assistance of [The Mechanical Puppet Technique], he clearly observed the High-Dimensional Data gleaming within the computational core of the mechanical dog.
He swiftly adjusted the composition of the High-Dimensional Data within the mechanical dog's computational core. Thus, a mechanical puppet entirely under Jeremy's control was born.
Moreover, this mechanical puppet differed in several ways from the puppets Jeremy had previously created by forcibly using [The Mechanical Puppet Technique].
The primary distinction was that the mechanical puppets made using the High-Dimensional Data storage cards exhibited a higher degree of autonomy.
Even without Jeremy's direct instructions, the mechanical dog could independently perform certain tasks.
Jeremy suddenly discovered that creating mechanical puppets seemed to be an incredibly fascinating endeavor.Over the next hour or two, he proceeded to craft three mechanical puppets in succession.
For Jeremy, he had no intention of using these three mechanical puppets as allies in combat.
This was because the core bodies of these mechanical puppets inherently lacked significant combat capabilities. Even though he used [The Mechanical Puppet Technique] to manipulate the High-Dimensional Data and enhance the mechanical puppets, their combat effectiveness remained relatively weak.
Jeremy's plan was to place these three mechanical puppets in his home.
These mechanical puppets could serve as guardians for Jeremy's residence. In the event of an intruder, they could record the intruder's every move and appearance without alerting them.
"With you all here, I no longer need to worry about hostile intruders invading my home." he said.
After fine-tuning the settings of his mechanical puppets, Jeremy immediately set them to work.